Since Richard was elected as the MP for Watford in 2010, he has secured Government funding for 5 new schools to open, helping to create an additional 3500 school places in Watford.
Westfield Academy has just undergone a £20million rebuild. Both Frances Combe, Garston Manor and Kings Langley School have also got brand new buildings in the last couple of years
Government funding has been secured for Croxley Danes School to open this year too. The free school will be a 1206 place mainstream school for 11-18 year olds and will include a 306 place sixth form. From March this year, Croxley Danes will offer 120 firm places to local children, with 180 from 2018 onward. Croxley Danes will open in temporary accommodation, on the site of St Clement Danes, in September this year, until the permanent building on Baldwin's Lane is complete.
St John's Free School opened its doors last year and currently runs reception classes temporarily from St John's Church Hall, Escourt Road. The brand new Primary School was given the green light for their permanent site on Clarendon Road, Central Watford, earlier this year.
The plans were approved by Watford Borough Council and so a brand new state-of-the art building will be under construction soon. The school will cater for students from Reception to Year Six, and will accommodate up to 420 pupils when it reaches capacity in 2022.
In 2014, the Lanchester Free School and Ascot Road Free School created an extra 120 primary school places, as well as the new University Technical College (UTC).
Richard Harrington, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Watford, says: "I will be pushing for more new schools and more expansions to ensure that teachers have the facilities they need, and the increase in places continues.
In Watford, every single secondary school achieved a 'good' or 'outstanding' Ofsted inspection and our primary schools aren't far behind! Watford's University Technical College on Colonial Way was rated 'Good' in its first ever Ofsted inspection earlier this year.
I'm exceptionally proud of our UTC and everything it's achieved since opening a few years ago. Students there have a unique technical education that prepares them for life after school."